10.

Taking songwriting into new territories and yet being one of the most infectious power rock albums, how has the rest of the country not caught on to Josh Flagg yet?

9.

While not “Sleepy Eyed,” the latest from Boston’s part-time rockers sees the group handing over a bit more lead time to Chris Colbourn. It is more adventurous, which will makes listeners go back and listen to the album again and again.

8.

The album Yuck wanted to make. Mix early Radiohead with Hum and Jawbox and you have a nice throwback to the 90s.

7.

Finally, letting themselves go where their other albums only hinted at before, straight into southern rock. And it is a good turn.

6.

Love the drums? This is your album. Fantastic music driven by the beats of Paul Banwatt.

5.

Moore mellow, Adams delivered what could easily be the logical follow up to “Heartbreaker,” just 11 years later.

4.

Sweet Jesus! How is Nicole Atkins not a household name? Her voice alone is perfect, but couple that with a diverse writing style and you have the female Nick Cave. Tours with the ever-exploding Avett Brothers will hopefully push Atkins over the top.

3.

The man keeps defying expectations and walking his own path.

2.

The record that Walker has been trying to make since his days of the Marvelous 3.

37 minutes of pure and utter pleasure.

1.

It might have been with honest intent, but looking back with perfect hindsight, “Collapse Into Now” was a nice sendoff.

Released back on March 7, it was a worthy successor to the superb “Accelerate.”

“Accelerate,” which was released in March 2008, nine years after Bill Berry left the band and nine years until the group found its voice again.

“Accelerate” was what “Up” should have been, taking nothing away from that album or it’s two follow ups. In those three albums, it was Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills moving on without Berry, a very key and precise component of the band, but with “Accelerate,” they found R.E.M. again, by not trying to avoiding making music in the same refrain as with Berry, but by almost taking him along with them in name alone.

With expectations high, the band delivered the goods and more with“Collapse Into Now.” We had R.E.M. back in stride and being the back that never followed anyone else’s path, but made their own, it seemed almost fitting that now is when they decided they took the ride as far as they wanted and were content with the legacy over 30 years of music.

And what better send off could a fan or the band want than “Collapse’s” closer “Blue.”

With a spoken-word Stipe, Patti Smith, Stipe’s long-time inspiration and friend singing the chorus.

It is the ideal R.E.M. send off, it was the end that they wanted and they feel fine with it.